Busy New Year for ambulance service

The trust received 1,570 calls between 6pm on New Year’s Eve and 6am the following morning.

YAS prepared for the increase in demand from drunken revellers by placing community medical units in Leeds, Sheffield and Doncaster.

This freed up ambulances for people more seriously ill or injured and helped ease pressure on hospital emergency departments.

Paul Mudd, locality director of A&E operations, said: “As always, New Year’s Eve was a busy time for us and we received a high volume of alcohol-related calls, particularly in the early hours of the morning.

“Our community medical units and police and paramedic teams provided valuable support and were able to treat people who had too much to drink or those who had sustained minor injuries without them needing to go to hospital.

“In the early hours of New Year’s Day, we received a significant number of emergency calls to patients who had been assaulted while out celebrating the start of 2015.

“Clearly this is distressing for those directly involved, but it also places extra pressure on us and partner services.”

He added: “New Year’s Eve aside, demand for our service continues to increase.

“So our New Year’s message is to remind members of the public to use the 999 service wisely and help us to ensure our vital resources are available for those with a genuine life-threatening emergency.”